ESPN NHL

ST. LOUIS -- Six weeks ago Brian Elliott couldn’t even dress as a backup, let alone give the St. Louis Blues any indication he would soon hold his own -- and then some -- with last year’s Conn Smythe Trophy winner.

Jonathan Quick singled himself out Thursday night after giving up a last-minute goal on a wrist shot to Barret Jackman, a game after his behind-the-net blunder also cost the Los Angeles Kings.

And to be fair, he’s otherwise been outstanding, making yet again a series of saves Thursday night that were highlight-reel material.

But it’s the playoffs, and close doesn’t cut it.

Elliott is the one who is 2-0 in this series, stopping 56 of 58 shots so far and giving the Blues the kind of goaltending he couldn’t a year ago against these same Kings.

“Els stood on his head again tonight and gave us a chance,” teammate Alexander Steen said.

“The first half of the game we really needed him, we had the scoring chances at 13-4 (for the Kings) at one point,” Blues goalie coach Corey Hirsch told ESPN.com. “He made some big saves.”

Hirsch deserves some credit for what is transpiring here in front of our eyes, working with Elliott to bring him back from the wilderness.

It was just a short time ago in late March that Elliott accepted a short conditioning assignment to the AHL to reset himself, having fallen to No. 3 on the Blues’ goalie depth chart.

He’s come back a new man. It’s one of the most unlikely stories of the NHL season.

“When things went bad, he never quit,” Hirsch said. “He kept going on the ice, he kept asking to go out early, he kept just sticking with it. It’s a cliché, but he worked really hard. He’s earned this, he earned it the hard way.”

Technically speaking, Hirsch didn’t want to divulge too many secrets, but it’s clear adjustments were made.

“We’ve changed his game a little bit, we’ve given him a few more tactics to be able to read the play a little better,” said Hirsch. “His post work is a little better.”

Elliott gave Blues fans a scare in the third period when his right leg appeared to buckle after Kings captain Dustin Brown crashed into the net. After staying down on the ice for a while, he eventually stayed in the game. Quick had also given his team a scare in warm-ups when he appeared to labor after taking a shot in the wrong spot. But he, too, gutted it out and said after the game he was fine.

It’s hard to hang an 0-2 series deficit on Quick. Gosh, his first-period save on Jaden Schwartz was just another jaw-dropper on a night when he was superb again -- until the end.

The only thing people will remember from this night was that Jackman beat him 51 seconds from the end of the third period with a wrist shot that simply can’t go in.

“I got to stop that,” a visibly angry Quick said afterward. “That’s my fault. Two games in a row. So, I got to be better.”

Well, so does your team, Jonathan.

The Kings have scored just two goals in this series, one with the extra attacker on the ice late in Game 1, and a 5-on-3 tally in the first period Thursday. That’s not much to hang your hat on as defending Cup champs.

The Kings did play a decent game in the first half, the pushback that we all expected. But it petered out as the Blues came back strong in the third period and scored twice to win it, gaining territorial advantage once again with a physical forecheck.

“We played a really good 40 minutes,” said the captain, Brown. “We got to stay on the body in the third. We didn’t have everyone taking the body. That’s the key to our grind is being physical. We let up in the third on the physicality. And that’s what happens.”

The Cup champs were never down in a series last spring, let alone two games to none.

But as the adage goes, a series isn’t a series until games have been played in both barns.
Don’t count them out, yet.

“We know how tough it is in L.A.,” said the goal-scoring hero, Jackman. “We have to play even better than we did tonight. We know they’ll come out with desperate hockey and Game 3 is going to be physical. They’re going to come out hard and we’re going to have to bring our 'A' game.”

And how about Jackman, he of the zero previous playoff goals in his entire career? The hard-hitting, defensive defenseman jumped into the fray when he saw an opening and ripped one past Quick for the winner as a delirious Scottrade Center rocked.

“It’s nice to contribute," smiled Jackman. "When things are going your way you get a bounce, you get a puck that you don’t normally get, and you put it home. It’s definitely a good feeling.”

But for Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock, it was also about the way his team responded on this night.

The Blues knew they’d get a pushback from the defending Cup champs in Game 2 and they got it, outplayed for most of the opening half of the game.

But then the Blues showed their evolution as a team, their maturity, by settling down and pushing back themselves. That happened when they re-established their forecheck in the second half of the game.

“Regardless of whether we would have won today, I was just happy with the way we played once we calmed down and played better positionally,” Hitchcock said. “We needed to play with more composure, and we did that.”

A year ago, the Kings found their mojo; they discovered how to win after two previous years in the playoffs before that, absorbing playoff lessons.

This year, you just get that feeling the Blues are discovering that path to playoff success.

“I think we learned a lot from previous years and previous experiences,” Steen said. “Right now we have a good vibe, a good attitude in the room."

This series has many more twists and turns, the Kings far from done. But the Blues have already proven one thing: They have gone to the next level in their playoff apprenticeship.

ST. LOUIS -- Matt Greene’s absence was certainly felt in the Los Angeles Kings' opening loss to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night.

The big, physical defender, such an important part of last season’s Stanley Cup champion team, practiced again Wednesday, but at this point, his availability to play isn’t quite clear.

“I’m doing whatever they tell me here, that’s it,” Greene said after practice, not wanting to reveal much.

Greene is the type of warrior who would play on one leg if the team let him, so clearly whether or not he plays, or when, is not his call.

“No, it’s just the way it’s going right now,” Greene said. “That’s the way our lineup is. And that’s fine. … They’re going to put me in when I’m healthy to go and ready to go.”

Head coach Darryl Sutter shed a bit more light on the situation Wednesday, saying it’s not simply about Greene’s condition.

“It’s not just [being] healthy, but he’s got to be up to speed,” Sutter said. “He needed about 10 games, to be quite honest. You just don’t put him in the lineup because he’s Matt Greene. Matt Greene has to be able to play and perform. We were hoping to get more games from him before, [to be] quite honest, and he got banged up. So we’ll see. I’m quite happy playing those two kids because they’re quite capable, too.”

Greene missed two months recovering from back surgery before returning recently to play four games. Then, he got hurt again.

So for now, it’s Keaton Ellerby in for Greene on the third pairing along with Jake Muzzin, the two kids Sutter was referring to.

Those two kids looked a little overwhelmed at times in Game 1, as they were hammered by the Blues’ forecheck.

“As the game went on they both played better, but at the same time, it put pressure on the other four guys early, and it was a big reason why we spent so much time in our own zone, was those kids having trouble early in the game,” Sutter said.

Blues know what's coming

The Blues aren’t resting on their laurels. They know the Kings will come hard Thursday night.

But at the same time, they’d be lying if they didn’t say finally beating L.A. after eight straight losses dating back to last season didn’t feel good.

"There's a lot of areas we need to improve on,” veteran Blues forward Andy McDonald said after practice Wednesday. “Certainly, they've taken it to us in the regular season and in the playoffs last year. Hopefully, it builds confidence in our room that these guys are beatable -- and they're the defending Stanley Cup champions -- but if we play our game, we can play right there with them.

"But my point is it's Game 1, and I think we had the adrenaline going, being excited, home opener in the playoffs, a lot to prove, and we just [need] to be sure that we match that tomorrow night and maybe even bring it up a notch, because I know that they're going to come out a little harder."

ST. LOUIS -- The architect of last year’s Stanley Cup championship squad watched attentively as his troops went through their drills during an optional practice Wednesday.

The military analogy is appropriate in this case, because Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi is an avid history buff who adores the comparisons between war and sport and the kind of self-sacrifice, leadership and guts it takes to achieve goals in both.

And so as The General watched practice Wednesday, you could just see the wheels spinning in his mind, his thoughts no doubt knee-deep in the test his team now suddenly faces just one game into the playoffs.

You want a history lesson? His Kings were never once behind in a series last spring, going up 3-0 in all four rounds en route to a well-earned championship.

The script has already changed just one game into the playoffs a year later. And that’s OK, Lombardi said. Standing back and looking at the big picture, it’s not such a bad thing, he figures, for his team to learn how to win in a different fashion.

“We’re going to have to deal with that eventually -- you’re going to have to learn how to win a long series,” Lombardi told ESPN.com outside his team’s dressing room. “Not that you want one, but it’s part of the growth process to learn how to deal with another level of pressure. We really only experienced that once in Game 6 last year [of the Stanley Cup finals]. So here you go. Here it is.”

Not that he’s surprised at what the St. Louis Blues pulled off in Game 1 on Tuesday night, a dominant performance if not on the scoreboard certainly in terms of physical play and puck possession.

Now, normally you’d say that’s a typical reaction from the losing team after dropping Game 1, saying they knew they were in for a tough series. But in this case I can vouch that even before Game 1 was ever played, a conversation with Lombardi during practice Monday revealed his utmost respect for the Blues and the huge test that he believed awaited his team.

And so on Wednesday, in the wake of the Game 1 loss, it is with absolute honesty that the Kings GM talked about the respect his team had for his first-round foe.

“This series last year was probably our toughest,” Lombardi said. “That was not a 4-0 series. Even in the regular season this year, these games are always hard. From top down, both teams are similar, both coaches believe in the same things. I don’t think there’s any question that our players respected this team.

“And so, I don’t know that it’s a wake-up call, per se, but I think it’s a clear reminder what it takes to win in the playoffs. Nobody, to a man, thought this would be easy.”

If there’s a wake-up call here for the players, coach Darryl Sutter said Wednesday, it’s not as much in losing a game but rather in the manner in which they lost.

“What grabs their attention is that they know several of our players can play better,” he said. “We got to overtime with really two lines and four defensemen. You’re not going to win very many games doing that.”

But if you’re looking for any signs of a frantic group after just one loss, even despite never being down in a series last spring, you came to the wrong dressing room.

This was a relaxed looking bunch, Mike Richards informing yours truly on the way out that a group of players was headed to the afternoon Cardinals baseball game to relax.

“The mood’s good,” said star defenseman Drew Doughty. “We’re down 1-0, but it’s all right. If we can get this win and go 1-1 back to L.A., that would be huge for us.”

And of course, that’s very true. A win Thursday night here at Scottrade Center, and the Kings go home confident and in good shape.

But for that to happen, they need to spend a lot less time in their own zone.

There wasn’t a single game last spring when L.A. was bottled up in their own end like it was Tuesday night by a ferocious Blues forecheck.

“We have to be quicker,” Doughty said. “They’re coming hard on their forecheck, they’re banging bodies, they’re creating those little turnovers. I think a lot of times when they created those turnovers we kind of went into panic mode and tried to make up for that mistake quickly.

"I think that’s the wrong thing to do; you have to sit back and find where your guy is and try to create your own turnover. That was the one area they really dominated us in. We didn’t get on our forecheck, which is one of the keys to our game. We need to do that in order to win the next one.”

Wave after wave, all four Blues’ lines hammered the Kings in their own zone. In particular, the fourth line of Chris Porter, Adam Cracknell and Ryan Reaves created pure chaos in the Kings’ zone with a relentless forecheck that left the Kings’ defense dizzy.

“They were coming in hard, and they can make plays, too. I don’t think many of us expected that from them,” Doughty said. “That could have been another downfall of ours. But now we know what they can do. We know they’re going to bend bodies.”

If you’re looking at that comment and thinking you’ve heard that before, it’s because you did -- a year ago. That’s when opposing teams were commenting on how the Kings’ fourth line was creating havoc with their physical play and forecheck, led by unheralded players such as Dwight King and Jordan Nolan.

“It’s the strength of our team, too, being able to play four lines,” Sutter said. “Our fourth line has been interchangeable quite honestly because some of the kids haven’t played very well. Those kids we brought up last year have not played very well this year. So we were hoping for them to play better now and better in a hurry.”

That’s about as blunt as it gets from the Kings' coach.

The Blues beat the Kings playing the same brand of game that won L.A. a championship last year. Now the Kings have to turn the tables Thursday night and find a way to get their forecheck going, impose their physicality on the Blues in the offensive zone.

“We need our guys doing the same thing to their defensemen,” Doughty said rather honestly. “Guys like [Jay] Bouwmeester and [Alex] Pietrangelo aren’t very physical guys. We need to bang their bodies and kind of take them out of the game so they can’t make their plays and rush up the ice.”

And that’s what will make Game 2 so compelling. The defending champs are determined to impose their game. They’ve been awoken. We will find out more about this Blues squad on Thursday night and how they handle that pushback from the Kings.

Buckle up, this series is just starting to get good.

The rant blog seems to still confuse some people. This is not a forum to ask me about trade rumors. This is a forum to rant. Any other questions, check in with me during my weekly chat, Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. Now let's look at some rants from this week:

Toews_me19: Pierre, First of all let me say that I love the Blackhawks and I am very proud of their accomplishments last year. That being said...WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP COMPARING THIS TEAM TO LAST YEAR'S TEAM? And why doesn't this team have any heart? When will this team quit playing on its collective heels and play with some flippin' urgency?? When will some of these guys quit waiting for someone else to make a play and do it themselves??? P.S -- did the Hawks forget that hockey games are 60 minutes in length, not 40 or 20. Come on, UGH.

Last year is long gone, as is a great deal of depth, options, players, whatever you want to say that made this team, oh wait...that team, so awesome. Whenever someone says something like "So-and-so defeat the Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks", I want to punch them. This team is not that team so they can't be compared only contrasted -- same core, very different dynamic. And comparing them only causes the pain in my heart to flare into life...pain caused by the necessary roster changes that every team faces every year because of the draconian salary cap.

That being said...the Blackhawks have done a decent job but it's not December anymore. It's time to skate and play to win boys. You are running out of time to get things together and the Western Conference is too tight to let points slip away. If it takes another three years for this team to become lethal again, I may jump in the Chicago River...j/k, but seriously you guys. Go Hawks, sorry for yelling.

My take: Can't say there's a terrible amount of sympathy coming your way since your team was able to enjoy a Stanley Cup last June, something many of our regular readers on this site have never had to experience. So let's not get too carried away with the Chicago pity party. Still, I don't think anyone thought that despite losing half the regulars from the Cup champion squad that the team would be entering the post All-Star break hanging on for their playoff lives. Not with a core still featuring Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Dave Bolland, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. I still think this team will figure it out here over the last stretch of the regular season. One particular statistic points me in this direction: Five-on-five goals/for against ratio. The Hawks ranked fifth overall in the 30-team league with a 1.16 ratio and that’s indicative of a team that at its base, special teams aside, knows what it’s doing most of the time. Barring Kane missing any team flights over the last 30-odd games, I think the Hawks are fine.

bio8r: Why has Keith Yandle not gotten more love from his outstanding play this season. He is the Coyotes most consistent player, plays big minutes every night, and can only barely sneak into the All-Star Game though leading all defensemen in points? I hope people can look past big names like Lidstrom, Letang, and Chara and give this guy some recognition.

My take: Bio8r, you're dead on about Keith Yandle, but to answer your first question: maybe because the Coyotes rank 29th in NHL attendance? If almost no one in his own backyard is noticing, how do you expect the rest of the fans around the NHL to notice? Just a thought. Having said that, Yandle does deserve the recognition, having taken a giant step this season and helping fill the minutes void left by Zbynek Michalek. Shane Doan told me before the season when I stopped through Phoenix during my camp tour that Yandle, before the end of this season, would be among the league’s very top defensemen. He was bang on.

Beastly Backes: The Blues are flat out a bad hockey team. They've won 2 of 12, and the 2 wins are against the sloppy kings. Jaroslav Halak has been inconsistent. One moment he'll make a great save, and the next shot, he lets in an easy goal. He needs to step up. Also, the Blues come out and look sloppy and lack motivation at the start of every game. They go out knowing they're gonna lose. It's great that they have Winchesters and Sobotkas trying to go above and beyond their potential, but the fact is, the coaching staff is extracting every ounce of effort from a lot of average players. Grit is great, but the Blues lack pure talent w/o Perron and McDonald. Even at the beginning of the year, when they won seven straight -- they won every games 2-1, 2-0, 3-1, 1-0 -- they couldn’t score goals!!! Oshie's return is nice and all, but the Blues need more weapons, BESIDES Perron and Andy-Mac. If the Blues don't trade some of their so called "depth" at defense, they will go nowhere. Pietrangelo however is one of the only bright spots on this team. Erik Johnson has played his worst hockey ever this year, Eric the gutless wonder Brewer happens to be playing his best, and Jackman and Polak are still grinding it out. They won't trade youth, which eliminates E.J. and Petro, but Jackman, Brewer and Polak could be trade bait. I personally think that Brewer may actually be worth something this year. TRADE HIM FOR A SCORER!!! GIVE THE "C" TO THE REAL CAPTAIN: David Backes.

BluesFanAlex74: WHY??? WHY DO MY BLUES FAIL? Night in and night out we fail to skate for 60 minutes, defend the net, or dish out hits that make the opposition fly the other way. In a town where hockey is loved, we have players who are young, energized, and have a great hockey sense, but there are also guys who are older and used to be 40 goal scorers (BRAD BOYES) and guys who think standing around and throwing pucks the wrong way are good (ERIK JOHNSON and ALEX PIETRANGELO) these guy would be greater if they knew what to do when the opposition runs around the D-men and behind the net, setting up shop, then scoring because we let the enemy fly in and shoot from the slot. Things were great 10 games into the season, but since Perron and McDonald are gone and we have no inspiration, we are going to lose half our money from season ticket sales because we are not going to win a playoff spot. Great Marketing idea, right? I had hope for this year with a great goalie and young stars, but we have been shot down and self destructive. I hope they find their pace for next year because I don’t think I can take another year of disappointment. From, THE ONLY SMART ONE IN CHESTERFIELD, MO. (JK)

My take: A double dose of Blues' blues. Tough year, indeed. It started with so much promise, St. Louis even leading the ESPN Power Rankings in early November. After improving to 9-1-2 with a win on Nov. 7, the Blues have won only 13 of their next 39 games (13-19-7). Ouch. They actually rallied with an 8-4-2 record in December but went only 2-8-2 in January. Double ouch. But let’s be honest, when you lose two thirds of your top line in T.J. Oshie and David Perron for such a long stretch, plus Andy McDonald, few teams in the NHL can recover from that. And as it was, the Blues actually weren't scoring that many goals even before those injuries. It's going to be a difficult assessment of the season for GM Doug Armstrong should the club not rally back, because he will have almost never had his full lineup in front of him to dissect. If I were the Blues, I would look to add a top-six forward in the offseason if possible -- that would be my priority.

ddiggler08: So, yeah, Patrick Sharp for MVP? What the ####.

My take: Well, Shea Weber, Nick Lidstrom, Anze Kopitar, Loui Ericksson and Danny Briere all had legitimate cases. The consensus press box pick was Weber, who was plus-6 with four assists. Part of the problem is that the 12-member media voting committee (I didn't vote this year, which is only right given my thoughts on the All-Star game) had to select a name midway through the third period. Hopefully next season, the NHL can circle back to USA Today hockey writer Kevin Allen, the president of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, and check with him at the buzzer to make sure the MVP pick still stands. Still, I have no issue with Sharp winning because he's such a good story, a blue-collar guy who's worked his way up to this level. Plus, he's from Northern Ontario, so you know he's a good guy.

CapitalsFan74: LeBrun, I have been a Caps fan since 1985. I have seen good and bad Capitals teams over the years (yes, mostly bad). But can anyone explain what is wrong with this team this year? After last year I was expecting a Cup run, but this team is painful to watch. All the "experts" have said over the years that we were not built (defensively) to win in the playoffs. Now we seem to have THAT but are in jeopardy of not making the playoffs at all. How can we be so much better for the playoffs if we cannot win in the regular season?

My take: Indeed the Caps have tightened up defensively, sitting seventh in the NHL in goals against per game as of Tuesday morning, up from 16th where they finished last season. That's an important evolution for their playoff chances in my opinion. But it's about balance. After leading the league in goals last season, they're only 17th as of Tuesday morning, down more than a full goal per game. Alex Ovechkin has two power-play goals on the season. I repeat, Alex Ovechkin has two power-play goals on the season. Unacceptable. Bruce Boudreau's task over the final stretch of the regular season is to better balance his team's new-found defensive play without forgetting how the team was built: with offensive stars. I think he's up to it.

SRDetroitfan: I'm from Detroit and a Wings fan and want to apologize to everyone who has to read people complain about why the Red Wings do not get any Love. I am not going to lie, I love when I see something about the Wings come up in one of these chats or in an article, but Detroit fans PLEASE stop complaining about how much love Detroit DOES not get and how no one pays attention to us. We don't need attention! The way we have played for the past 20 years should be attention enough! And lets be honest...is there really anyone happy with the amount of "love" their team gets from the media?

My take: My man, thank you so much for this post. I can't tell you how many Wings stories both myself and Scott Burnside have written for this website over the last three years. A 2,500-word Nick Lidstrom story, anyone? Wings fans are incredibly sensitive for a market that's done so much winning. Ken Holland is routinely labeled by us as the best GM in hockey. Mike Babcock is often called the best coach by most of the media covering the game. What else can we do????

egotonusf: OK, how do the Lightning win a blowout and then shut out the Leafs, BUT FALL 2 SPOTS IN THE POWER RANKINGS? I guess its just hatred for south hockey, we will see come playoffs...

My take: No hatred my friend, it's because Burnside and I alternate weeks and have different views on where the teams should rank. So a team's performance alone isn't the only factor in influencing the ranking, fixing Burnside's mistakes is also another. Or as Scotty would view it, fixing mine, ha ha.

Dubsg123: Pierre. What really bothers me is how little attention some of the outstanding young players of the NHL get league wide. One of these such players is Anze Kopitar. As a Kings fan, I know that he is one of the best two way centermen in the league, but when you have national hockey broadcasters that announce his name Annzee Kahpiter you really can see how he doesn't get much recognition. In the All-Star Game, he was the first player to score two goals, and he looked like he was having fun doing it. This year on the Kings, the players that have really been getting the attention (at least with the media, thankfully the fans got it right with voting him to the All-Star Game) overshadow his success: Drew Doughty, Jon Quick, Justin Williams, Ryan Smyth, etc. I know that Crosby has a concussion. I know that Ovechkin isn't scoring like he used to. I know that Steven Stamkos is too good to play in the NHL. I just don't want to be hearing their names in a headline article every morning. Let's give Kopitar the love he truly deserves!

My take: Kopitar is 12th in NHL scoring with 49 points in 50 games, having himself another terrific season. While I agree he doesn't get as much attention as some of the other young snipers in that top 15 group, it's ironic that Loui Ericksson is tied with him at 49 points and there's a guy who actually gets zero national attention. I mean, way less than even Kopitar. Here's what I really like about Kopitar -- he's sporting a plus-16 rating as of Tuesday morning. He was a double-digit minus player the first three years of his career. Last season, he finished plus-6. So his progression in his two-way play has been impressive. And when you consider he doesn’t really have a high-end, superstar winger to play with like other centers in this league, you understand that he is indeed full value for his production.

neufeld85: I am a Colorado Avalanche fan and they might be the most frustrating team to watch in the NHL. Whenever they get a lead, I never expect them to hold it. Their defense is pathetic and what happened to Craig Anderson this year? I love Adam Foote but the guy needs to retire, he constantly gets burned by speedier forwards. If it wasn't for all the miraculous comeback wins, the Avs would near the bottom of the West. They have given up the second most goals in the conference this season. Do you think the Avalanche will be able to squeak into the playoffs?

My take: Scott Burnside actually has a nice Avalanche feature story that's going to be posted this week after he spent some time there last week. So make sure to check that out. At this point, this team is not going to make the playoffs unless they can tighten up. Ranked 30th -- dead last -- in the NHL in goals against per game doesn't get you anywhere. Some of it, yes, is Anderson having an off-year, but I rest most of the blame on a blue-line corps that, as predicted by some of us last September, has been dreadful defensively.

benjies77: As a delusional Leafs fan, I, along with the rest of Leafs Nation, thought the Leafs might make the playoffs. Now, rather than rooting for the eighth spot, I'm biting my nails just to see them stay out of the cellar. It pains me to think we will give another lottery to Boston. I love Kessel and hope he will eventually come into his own when he learns to deal with the pressure of playing in Toronto. But, shoot me straight. With the Leafs sitting in the fifth spot of the bottom five, is there ANY hope of them climbing out of the bottom? I feel like that is the only thing left that can "save" another sad season.

My take: As most people know, I live in Toronto, so I see the pain and suffering that Leaf fans go through. My brother-in-law, Mitch, is a die-heard Leafs fan, watches every single game and allows the knife to twist in his gut. I actually sat beside Leafs GM Brian Burke on the flight down to Raleigh last Friday. Believe me when I say no one is taking this harder than him. He wants to turn this around badly. The work will continue over the next few weeks with the trade deadline approaching. Kris Versteeg, Francois Beachemin and maybe Jean-Sebastien Giguere (depending on his health) could get moved, while Tomas Kaberle will be dealt only if he chooses to waive his no-trade clause and the Leafs can accommodate the small list of teams he would hand over. Changes are coming, Leaf fans, hang tight.

curley214: I am so angry that John Tavares was not in the ASG. Yeah, we have it tough right now on LI, but the kid is damn good and earned a spot. I guarantee you if you asked 29 other GM's in the league would they rather have Patrik Elias or JT, 28 would go with JT (Brian Burke would trade his rights back to the Isles for Blake Kessel and the next 11 Leafs first round picks). The Isles get a bad rap and are rebuilding the right way. Kevin Poulin looks promising for the next couple years to get some regular NHL time. DP has been playing and has a .914 save percentage in the past couple weeks. Things are slowly looking better. My question Pierre, when do the Isles unload some assets for some proven help? THANKS!

My take: I don't agree every team should be represented in the All-Star Game, but I do think Tavares should have been at the game anyway. You are right to be angry.

Stock Up

Lee Stempniak, Phoenix Coyotes: The Coyotes continue to hold onto a playoff spot in the tough Western Conference thanks in large part to their balanced offense. Recently, it's been Stempniak, who became a Coyote just over a year ago at the trade deadline, taking the lead. Stempniak has a seven-game point streak during which he's collected 11 points. During the past two weeks, no one has delivered more points (although Stempniak is tied with Philadelphia's Claude Giroux during this stretch). The native of West Seneca, N.Y., has five goals during that span, all at even strength, and a plus-4 rating.

Sergei Bobrovsky, Philadelphia Flyers: So much for hitting the rookie wall. After a slight wobble, Bobrovsky (Bob to most around the NHL) is on a tear heading into the All-Star break. Bobrovsky has won six straight starts and has allowed two or less goals in each of those contests, while facing just over 30 shots a game during the streak. No wonder the Flyers hit the break as the NHL's top team and the annual talk of Flyers goaltending uncertainty has quieted to a faint hum.

Stock Down

Jaroslav Halak, St. Louis Blues: Yes, the Blues have been beset by injuries throughout this difficult season and maybe this is a factor in what appears to be the breaking down of Halak, last year's playoff hero in Montreal. Acquired by the Blues with the expectation he would lead them to the playoffs, Halak has just two wins in his last 10 appearances. Seven times over that 10-game span, Halak has allowed four goals. No wonder the Blues are slowly sinking beneath the surface in the Western Conference.

Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators: It's as ugly as you can get in the Canadian capital these days with the Senators in freefall and ownership determined to keep the current management/coaching staff in place, at least until the end of the regular season. Even Alfredsson, the team's classy captain, has not been immune to the woes that have brought this team to its lowest point in well over a decade. Alfredsson has delivered one goal in his last nine games and just one assist over that period. A guy like Alfredsson deserves better.

DENVER -- A handful of reporters and broadcasters are gathered around Andy McDonald's locker at the Pepsi Center quizzing him about his new helmet.

It's a model pioneered by Hall of Famer Mark Messier expressly to add additional protection against concussions and other head injuries.

"It's a little heavier than what I was wearing," McDonald explained.

The shape is slightly more round to accommodate the additional padding that is supposed to help protect against concussions, something McDonald knows all too well having suffered two serious ones in his career.

It makes the 33-year-old native of Strathroy, Ontario, look a little like the Great Gazoo from "The Flintstones" and there is some good-natured ribbing about whether the look is a good one for McDonald.

"It feels pretty good, I think I'll stick with it," he said. "I don't know if it'll pass the mirror test."

Still, when you haven't played since Dec. 4 and you're trying to get your head back in the game both literally and figuratively, you're willing to sacrifice a little style for maximum self-preservation.

As for the kibitzing in the dressing room, well, that's been a long time coming, too, for McDonald.

The morning skate in Denver on Monday marked his first workout with the rest of the team, and the soft-spoken McDonald is clearly thrilled to be back.

"It's nice to have some company," he said.

Nice to have a goalie to shoot at and teammates to pass the puck to outside of trainer Ray Barile.

"Not that he doesn't pass the puck well," McDonald added.

Unlike too many players suffering concussions this season, McDonald's wasn't the result of a dangerous play but a mishap. He lost an edge and his head hit an Edmonton player's knee or skate.

The results were the same, though, the uncertainty and isolation no different than what David Booth, Marc Savard and others have endured.

"Pure frustration," said McDonald.

Now he has been cleared to practice with the team, it's a matter of getting his timing and conditioning back. He lost six or seven pounds off his already diminutive frame while he was out, so he needs to bulk up a bit as well.

And of course he must remain symptom free.

"This is the next step," coach Davis Payne said before the Blues were clipped 4-3 Monday night by the Avalanche.

"Every day's a test," he added. "Everything's been positive. That's progress."

But McDonald is close. At least he hopes he is.

But he understands the cruelty of the concussion, of not knowing just when all will be right.

In this very arena two days earlier, Savard was taken hard into the boards and is now out again with another concussion.

It's not surprising that McDonald has noted the other injuries around the league and how the league is handling the issue of concussions. But he also added that he tries not to pay too much attention to it, focusing on his own situation.

Certainly, the Blues will welcome McDonald back at the earliest opportunity, likely after the All-Star break this weekend. They have been without key personnel all season, have won just twice in their last 11 games and are rapidly sinking out of sight in the Western Conference playoff race. McDonald, who won a Stanley Cup in Anaheim before being traded to St. Louis, had 17 points in 25 games for the Blues before the injury.

"I try not to set myself dates," McDonald said. "It's not a decision that will be made just by myself."

VANCOUVER -- Greetings from the Left Coast. I see there's plenty of angry puck heads this week. Love it. Let's get at 'er:

gatorsandtitansfan44: The Nashville Predators are not getting enough notice. They have won 10 of 12, getting some of the best goaltending in the league from Pekka Rinne and look at their injury list! Two of their top scorers are on IR, their big offseason signing has played 1 1/2 games, a top four D-man (Boullion) and a filler they picked up to help with scoring since two of their top point guys are out (Svatos). Guess what, not only are the Predators quite arguably the hottest team in the league, but they are doing it while dealing with tons of injuries. Not to mention that they had to go nearly a month without starting goalie Pekka Rinne. The fact of the matter is the NHL season is a little over halfway done and the Nashville Predators with a rag tag group of guys and several key injuries are on fire and now sit just four points out of first in the division (second in the West) behind Detroit, four points ahead of the defending SC champion Blackhawks (who they have beaten in three out of five this year), and they are two points ahead of the Ducks (fifth in the West), who have played three more games than Nashville so far. Why can’t the fact that they have no "superstar scorer" be set aside and the fact that this is a good young hockey team with a solid foundation be brought out? The bottom line is this team has very good potential, and if they can keep playing the way they are this season who knows? Maybe a trip to the conference semis is finally within their grasp.

My take: Hey, I've done my best, writing a Preds story two weeks ago. But generally, you are indeed correct that this team just doesn't get the kind of national attention it deserves. Playing in a small and non-traditional market obviously doesn't help. What would also help is a deep playoff run, which they've never had. That would cultivate more of a respect factor around the league. Is this the year?

Kavashaforlife: Dear Mr. Nabokov:

Hey, it is me, Logic; I think we need to have a talk. I understand, the Islanders are not the ideal place to resume your NHL career, but are you not tired of the cold nights in Russia? Report to the Islanders, take the next week (including workouts over the All-Star break) to earn the starting goaltending job on despondent Long Island; play a week or so on the Island, show the rest of the NHL that you still have it (I see the headlines now: "Nabokov's 40 save night (again) sparks the resurgent Isles") and eventually get traded to Detroit (or another playoff contender) for a draft pick and mid-level player. Unlike at Burger King, you cannot always "have it your way;" take what the Islanders are offering you, it has to be better than what Russia's offering you.

Sincerely,

Logic (Hopeful Islanders Fan)

My take: Problem is, my friend, the Isles can't trade him unless they put him on waivers first and it's unlikely he would clear. Hence, a trade is not a realistic option. By now, most hockey fans know I interviewed Nabokov on Sunday. He sounded genuinely surprised over the phone that the Islanders would claim him. And quite frankly, I'm with him on that. I mean, why aren't the Isles just focusing on losing games and getting another high lottery pick to join John Tavares and company on a young club that will be better over the next few years? Having said that, I also think Nabokov should report to Long Island. He needs to show the other 29 GMs that he can still stop pucks so that once July 1 rolls around, he'll get some interest.

phillyisbetterthanpitt: Stop protecting the players from headshots. This is a joke, they get paid all this money to play the sport the same way they have been playing it their entire lives. The NHL is getting more and more soft with each passing year Bettman remains the head. Stop letting GMs protect their money interests and let the players play the game the way it was intended to be played.

My take: Marc Savard has another concussion. David Perron hasn't played since his November hit to the head. Matthew Lombardi has played two games this season, still out with a concussion. The best player on the planet won't be showcased in the All-Star Game as he continues to recover from a concussion. Yup, you're right. No issue here whatsoever. All is well. I have no idea why we're even talking about it.

StLbluesfan314: I am so frustrated about the Blues this season! I feel like we are the Chicago Cubs of hockey. Every time the season begins, we all have the hopes of a Cup in STL. But year after year no such luck. DON'T GET ME WRONG, I enjoy getting to the playoffs but yet we can't make anything happen! Is it time to talk of trading some of those "cornerstone" pieces to get some real talent in here to make a playoff run? Any news on the talk of getting a sniper who can put pucks into the net with consistency? The addition of Oshie back from injury is nice but we still can't put up points. Is it inconsistency that is killing this team? GET US SOME HELP J.D.!

My take: Um, the Cubs of hockey are a team you may have heard of in Toronto. The Maple Leafs and Cubs have brought suffering to a new level for their fans.

LynchBages: Kings vs. Mike Murphy. Unfortunately Murphy has all of the leverage. However, the goal that was allowed to stand against Phoenix the other night from the high stick up around the head (never mind that Hanzal is 6'5"!) was ridiculous, especially when the feeds in the arena even showed it was almost two feet over the crossbar. The explanation from the "war room" was feeble, at best, and even though Lombardi's comment was out of line, the league should be embarrassed to ask him to pay that fine. With all of that in mind, it's painfully obvious that the Kings are frustrated because their plan to have the kids grow up fast makes them too thin -- they do have steaks where their talent is evident, but no consistency. REALISTICALLY, do you see any movement coming this season via trade? I'm thinking they're going have to look to the Eastern Conference ... more consistent scoring and a top-four D-man, but who??

My take: Hanzal's goal should not have stood. Bad call from the war room in Toronto. But Lombardi was out of line to say that publicly. Totally out of line. And when I spoke with the Kings GM on Friday, he felt brutal about it. Good on Lombardi to call Murphy on Friday morning and apologize. Classy move by Lombardi.

mrcheesenacho7: I'm tired of hearing everyone call out Sidney as a baby and a poor leader because he isn't able to play or participate in the All-Star Game. You have to realize that the guy would be on the ice in a second if he could help out his team, yet he hasn't skated in almost three weeks and does nothing but catch hell from haters for something he can't even help. The Sid haters have reached a new low.

My take: Anyone who thinks Crosby is not injured and skipping the All-Star Game on purpose it a moron. He's injured. He's got a concussion. He's doing the right thing by taking the week off to recover. Enough said.

cbjgatorhead: I'm not going to bash Scott Howson/Scott Arniel at all ... but I'm beginning to question some of their tactics lately. I don't understand why we sent down Kyle Wilson when we have Huselius floating around like a worthless bag of garbage. Also additional garbage, Anton Stralman, but thankfully we have Grant Clitsome! And obviously it's not because of money. We just sent our highest paid D-man down to the AHL. Why do we continue to keep Huselius around?!

My take: I feel terrible for Jackets fans. I love the city of Columbus, I've always thought it was an excellent choice for an NHL franchise. But it's been nothing but heartache and frustration for a decade plus. There are no easy solutions moving forward. The Predators model is the one to try to copy: patient drafting and developing and no quick fixes.

colt135: I will rant about Nabokov. I hope Islanders fans like what Snow did. The idea is to make your team better, and for them Nabokov is an upgrade. With over 30 games left in the season, if he caught lightning in a bottle and went 20-10 (he won 44 last year), they could grab the eight spot.

My take: Whatever you're taking, I want some of that.

raquelm5: Hi, I am a hockey fan, I love hockey, I play hockey and I live in Miami so I have Panthers season tickets. My hubby HATES hockey so I am always trying to find someone to go to the games with me and no one wants to go and the ticket is free. Their reasons are either: a) they don't care about hockey, or b) the Panthers are so bad. I play in a women's rec league and it seems that the Panthers make the same mistakes we do. It is sad to watch and when they seem to be winning for once, they manage to loose. We always say that they "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" like the game vs. the Hurricanes when they were up 3-0 and lost 5-3. Should I bother renewing my season tickets so I go through the trouble of finding who to go with or fighting with my hubby to go with me? Oh, BTW, Bank Atlantic Center is 50 miles from where we live.

My take: Raquel, don't give up on them yet. Dale Tallon showed in Chicago that he knows how to rebuild a team. It's just going to take time, which I know is tough to take given the long drought of non-playoff years in South Florida. But give Tallon a chance. He knows what he's doing.

fbullock: Pierre, We find ourselves with another annual useless hockey game this Saturday night. No it's not an Isles vs. Devils game. Although it would be a lot better if it was. But sadly it's the NHL All-Star Game. It's just plan useless not just for the fans but for those having to cover it. I feel for you having to trek down there to RBC but make sure you shake enough corporate hands to make it worth it. Only person that will be happy this weekend will be the wife since I will have no pucks on this weekend. I wish the hockey gods could help me with the work I will have to do in the garage. Anyway, I feel there is no need in bashing this hand-holding corporate event unless I have a solution and I do. Why can't we take the weekend and have an awesome round-robin tourney? How about the All-Stars from: NHL vs. KHL vs. SEL vs. EHL. After three days the top two points teams play for a stack of cash. I don't believe any of the above leagues lose because of the monster TV deal it would bring as well as international sponsors. It’s a no brainer. Not to mention the side games of the above leagues. They could include an all-amateur game as well as high stakes skills comp. Oh what a weekend. Puck heads would be on full puck tilt for three or four days. As well, I believe the media would have a much better time with the storylines. Well, just throwing out one fan's dream, instead me and my dog Hosehead are going to grab us some Elsinore and clean the garage.

My take: Well, the game is actually on Sunday, but yes, I'm with you. I've wanted the All-Star Game canceled for years. The addition of the Friday fantasy draft is a neat touch. But I suspect Sunday's game will be a dud once again. Solution? Just blow it up. The NHL schedule is brutal on the players. Adding back those three days from the break wouldn't hurt.

DENVER -- They could have called this one the Growing Pains Cup. Or the Promise Cup. Take your pick; they represent two sides of the same developmental coin.

So much raw young talent on the ice at the Pepsi Center on Monday night, so much uncertainty, so much frustration, as the St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche tangled in their second-to-last game before the All-Star break.

Two struggling teams desperate to trade some of that promise into some points in the standings.

When the ice chips had been swept away Monday night, it was the Avalanche getting goals from a 25-year-old, a 23-year-old and a 22-year-old in a 4-3 victory.

"It's huge, especially going into the All-Star break," Colorado defenseman John-Michael Liles told ESPN.com after the victory, which pushed the Avs back into the top eight in the Western Conference.

According to our good friends at Elias Sports Bureau, the Blues are the second-youngest team in the NHL and the Avs the fourth. With injuries to veteran players on both teams, that youthfulness has been even more evident in recent games. Both teams entered this season riding a wave of optimism despite that youth, or perhaps, because of it.

The Blues had fallen just short of the playoffs last season with rookie coach Davis Payne seeming to have returned the Blues to the path that saw them surge into the playoffs in 2009. The Avs, meanwhile, had defied skeptics and made the playoffs. With one of the most dynamic offenses in the league through the first third of this season, Colorado even seemed ready to take a big step toward contender status.

Yet coming into Monday's clash, neither team was in the playoff picture in the highly competitive Western Conference. The Blues had won just twice in their past 10 games, while the Avs had been mauled at home by Nashville and Boston in their past two outings and had won just four times in their past 11 contests.

But Monday, the Avs found a way, even if it was a bit of an adventure along the way.

After taking a 1-0 lead on a Blues' turnover at their blue line, the Avs returned the favor by giving up the puck behind their own net and allowing Jay McClement to score untouched from the deep slot. Immediately after, the Avs allowed the Blues a number of good scoring chances, prompting sophomore coach Joe Sacco to call a time out. Then, St. Louis defenseman Eric Brewer snuck in from the blue line and gave the Blues a 2-1 lead.

For two teams that have revealed themselves as fragile in recent weeks, it could have been a tipping point. But the Avs got a second goal from a struggling Brandon Yip, who had been a healthy scratch in three of the previous four games. Yip also drew a crucial double-minor high-sticking penalty by Brad Boyes midway through the third period that allowed the Avs to score their second power-play goal of the night.

Last season Yip, 25, was a pleasant surprise, scoring 11 times in a 20-game span after being called up from the AHL. But a shoulder injury slowed his production in the second half of last season, and prior to Monday's game, he had just seven goals in 40 games.

"Definitely brought up the confidence level," Yip acknowledged after the game. He added Monday's win was a confidence-booster for himself and his teammates.

There are mitigating circumstances for both team's struggles. Both squads have been decimated by injury. Coming into Monday's game, the Avs had lost 236 man-games to injury, while the Blues had lost 163 and were without top-six forwards Andy McDonald and David Perron, and regular defensemen Barret Jackman and Carlo Colaiacovo.

But injuries are a part of life in the NHL, and both coaches were looking for their teams to assert themselves after a period of disappointing play.

"We've had a little bit of trouble getting ourselves back collected," Payne noted after the loss.

As for using youth or inexperience as a crutch, the Blues were having none of that. Blues forward David Backes, 26, noted youth hasn't really hurt the Chicago Blackhawks or the Pittsburgh Penguins the past couple of years. Backes, who scored the Blues' third goal Monday night, said youthful energy can be a powerful weapon if channeled in the right direction; otherwise, it can be difficult to turn the tide when things don't go your way.

"It seems to snowball in either direction," Backes said. "We're on the ice to win games. We're expecting to win games."

On Monday, the Avalanche found a way to turn youth into points, while the Blues were left only with the empty feeling of what that promise might someday yield.

New York Rangers (28-19-3) at Washington Capitals (27-14-8), 7:30 p.m. ET

Season series: 1-1
Starting goaltenders: Martin Biron (7-4-0, 2.33 GAA) vs. Braden Holtby (4-2-1, 2.79 GAA)
Preview: Coming off his first hat trick of the season, Alex Ovechkin looks to end his drought against the Rangers and avenge the Capitals' most lopsided defeat of the season, a 7-0 loss to New York. Ovechkin has not scored in his past three games against the Rangers, the longest drought of his career against New York. While the Capitals are hoping for more production from Ovechkin, the Rangers are looking for the same from Marian Gaborik. After ending his eight-game goal drought with a four-goal outburst against the Leafs, Gaborik has no points in his past two games.

St. Louis Blues (22-18-7) at Colorado Avalanche (24-18-6), 9:30 p.m. ET

Season series: 1-0 Colorado
Starting goaltenders: Jaroslav Halak (17-15-5, 2.58 GAA) vs. Peter Budaj (11-7-3, 3.12 GAA)
Preview: As Colorado tries to avoid a third consecutive loss, it will need to continue its recent luck against St. Louis. The Avalanche have won five consecutive games against the Blues, their longest win streak against St. Louis since the franchise moved from Quebec at the start of the 1995-96 season. All-Star center Matt Duchene has a five-game point streak against St. Louis and is one point shy of 100 in his two-year career.

Nashville Predators (27-15-6) at Calgary Flames (22-21-6), 9:30 p.m. ET

Season series: 1-0 Calgary
Starting goaltenders: Pekka Rinne (17-11-4, 2.08 GAA) vs. Miikka Kiprusoff (18-18-2, 2.84 GAA)
Preview: The Predators are an NHL-best 10-2-0 since New Year's Eve, helping them vault from 12th place in the West to fourth. But their hot streak has not helped them against the Flames recently. Calgary is 7-2-0 against Nashville since the start of the 2008-09 season. A Predators win Monday night would give Nashville 10 wins in January, which would be the just the sixth time in franchise history they have won 10 games in a month.

Dallas Stars (29-14-5) at Vancouver Canucks (29-10-9), 10 p.m. ET

Season series: 1-0 Vancouver
Starting goaltenders: Kari Lehtonen (21-10-5, 2.49 GAA) vs. Roberto Luongo (21-8-7, 2.35 GAA)
Preview: The Canucks are winless in their past four games, but have pushed the past three games beyond regulation to hold on to their lead in the West. Vancouver has won six of seven against Dallas, including all three meetings at Rogers Arena. But Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen is 6-0-1 in January with a 1.70 GAA average. Lehtonen will need to continue his strong play to shut down the Canucks’ Ryan Kesler, who has 26 goals, which is already tied for his single-season career high.

Boston Bruins (27-14-7) at Los Angeles Kings (25-22-1), 10:30 p.m. ET

Season series: 1-0 Los Angeles
Starting goaltenders: Tim Thomas (23-4-6, 1.83 GAA) vs. Jonathan Quick (20-14-1, 2.22 GAA)
Preview: The Bruins have picked up at least one point in their past nine road games heading into Monday night's matchup in Los Angeles, but they will need to overcome an injury to Marc Savard to improve their streak. Savard returned to Boston to be evaluated after being checked into the boards and leaving the game on Saturday. The Kings are looking to win consecutive games for the first time since a four-game winning streak from Dec. 21-27. With Tim Thomas' save percentage currently at .945, the Bruins goalie is trying to become the first with a save percentage of .940 or better heading into the All-Star break having played at least 20 games.

Pittsburgh Penguins (29-14-4) at New Jersey Devils (13-29-3), 7 p.m. ET

Season series: 2-0 Pittsburgh
Starting goaltenders: Brent Johnson (8-3-2, 2.04 GAA) vs. Martin Brodeur (8-18-2, 2.97 GAA)
Preview: The Penguins take the ice without both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for the first time since Malkin came into the league, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Reports out of Pittsburgh indicate Malkin is day to day with a sore knee, while Crosby is still recovering from a concussion. Pens coach Dan Bylsma will put Dustin Jeffrey on the top line with Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis. With a win tonight, Bylsma will tie Scotty Bowman for third place on the Penguins' all-time coaching wins list with 95.

Anaheim Ducks (26-19-4) at Toronto Maple Leafs (18-22-5), 7 p.m. ET

Starting goaltenders: Jonas Hiller (23-15-3, 2.45 GAA) vs. Jean-Sebastien Giguere (8-7-3, 2.73 GAA)
Preview: Jean-Sebastien Giguere will face his former team for the first time since being traded to Toronto. Giguere helped the Ducks to two Stanley Cup finals appearances, winning it all in 2007. Giguere is also the Ducks franchise leader among goalies for games played (447) and wins (206). The struggling Leafs are coming off a 7-0 loss to the Rangers on Wednesday night. Giguere said Wednesday morning that he would consider waiving his no-trade clause if the team asked.

New York Rangers (27-18-3) at Carolina Hurricanes (22-18-6), 7 p.m. ET

Season series: 1-1
Starting goaltenders: Henrik Lundqvist (20-14-3, 2.21 GAA) vs. Cam Ward (19-14-5, 2.72 GAA)
Preview: The Rangers are coming off a 7-0 win on Wednesday night, but they are an impressive 10-2-0 this season when playing the second game of back-to-back games and haven't allowed more than three goals in the second games. The Hurricanes are sitting in ninth place in the East and trying to fight into the playoff picture, but have lost three of their past four.

Washington Capitals (25-14-8) at New York Islanders (14-23-7), 7 p.m. ET

Season series: 1-0 Washington
Starting goaltenders: Braden Holtby (2-2-1, 3.84 GAA) vs. Rick DiPietro (7-6-4, 3.43 GAA)
Preview: Looking the beat the Islanders for the ninth time in their past 10 meetings, the Capitals turn to Braden Holtby in net. Recalled from the Hershey Bears on Wednesday with both of Washington's two top goalies injured, Holtby will be making his fifth NHL start of the season. The Capitals have been held to three goals or fewer in 11 straight games and have one win in their past five games.

Ottawa Senators (17-23-7) at Philadelphia Flyers (30-11-5), 7 p.m. ET

Season series: 1-0 Philadelphia
Starting goaltenders: Brian Elliott (12-16-6, 2.01 GAA) vs. Sergei Bobrovsky (18-6-3, 2.50 GAA)
Preview: Already leading the Eastern Conference, the Flyers now get to add top defenseman Chris Pronger back to the lineup. Pronger missed 13 games with a broken foot, but the Flyers went 9-4-0 in his absence and had the highest offensive production in the NHL at 3.46 goals per game. While Philadelphia is vying for the best record in the league, the Senators are tied with the Maple Leafs at the bottom of the Northeast due to a 1-6-3 stretch.

Tampa Bay Lightning (27-15-5) at Atlanta Thrashers (23-18-7), 7 p.m. ET

Season series: 4-0 Tampa Bay
Starting goaltenders: Dwayne Roloson (4-3-0, 2.92 GAA) vs. Ondrej Pavelec (16-11-5, 2.49 GAA)
Preview: With the Capitals struggling this season, the Southeast Division is wide open and the Lightning are taking advantage. Steven Stamkos has reclaimed the league goal-scoring lead with 35 goals after scoring in his past three games. Also, Stamkos has a point in seven of eight career games against the Thrashers with six goals and six assists.

Detroit Red Wings (28-12-6) at St. Louis Blues (22-17-6), 8 p.m. ET

Season series: 2-1 Detroit
Starting goaltenders: Jimmy Howard (22-7-4, 2.83 GAA) vs. Jaroslav Halak (17-14-4, 2.50 GAA)
Preview: The injury-riddled Red Wings will welcome back Jimmy Howard as they try to avoid a season-worst fourth consecutive road loss. Howard missed two games after bruising his right knee. And with Chris Osgood sidelined by a hernia, the Wings are in talks to sign goalie Evgeni Nabokov, a source confirmed to ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun on Thursday.

San Jose Sharks (23-19-5) at Vancouver Canucks (29-10-7), 10 p.m. ET

Season series: 2-0 Vancouver
Starting goaltenders: Antti Niemi (11-13-2, 2.79 GAA) vs. Roberto Luongo (21-8-5, 2.38 GAA)
Preview: After earning at least one point in a 17 straight games, the Canucks are just 1-2-1 in their past four games. The Canucks now return home from a five-game road trip with a three-point advantage for the Western Conference lead. Vancouver has outscored San Jose 10-4 in two meetings this season, but the Sharks come into the game on a two-game winning streak.

Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun debate the playoff potential of the Blues, Ducks and Avs and the recent surge by the Maple Leafs.

Burnside: Good day, my friend. I watched with interest a couple of Western Conference games last night, and it looks like injury and maybe inexperience are catching up with a couple of young teams looking to take a big step forward this year. The St. Louis Blues were pounded by a surprising Anaheim Ducks team, 7-4, and the Colorado Avalanche were blanked 4-0 by a Chicago Blackhawks team that is suddenly looking a lot more championship-like of late. The Blues have gone five games without a win (0-4-1) and have slipped to 12th in the Western Conference, while the Avs have won just three times in their last 11 outings. Although they still hang onto the eighth spot in the West as of Thursday morning, a second straight postseason appearance is more than a little iffy at this point. Thoughts?

LeBrun: The Avs showed so much resiliency for most of the season dealing with their injuries. But it looks like they've run out of steam right now. Hopefully the return of Chris Stewart sometime next week will give them wind in their sails. Stewart, for my money, was having an MVP-type season before going down Nov. 27 with a hand injury suffered in a fight. But let's be honest, of great concern this season has been the goaltending of Craig Anderson. The Vezina Trophy nominee last season has fallen back down to earth this year, so much that the Avs rank 29th in the NHL in goals against. Pretty hard to make the playoffs with those numbers. The Blues, meanwhile, continue to try to survive without two thirds of their top line in David Perron and T.J. Oshie. Not sure how many teams in the league could do so without struggling, but I want to stress on the positive today and mention the Ducks. They've won six of seven games to stay in a playoff spot in that crazy Western race. The most impressive part is that they began that streak Dec. 28 in a game in which they lost captain and star center Ryan Getzlaf to a facial injury, which will keep him out at least a month. Kudos to GM Bob Murray. Not all signings in July get a lot of fanfare. Toni Lydman? Second in the NHL with a plus-26 rating.

Burnside: I must admit I didn't think the Ducks were capable of hanging around this long, but Cam Fowler deserves Calder Trophy consideration (he was my midpoint pick), and as you wrote recently Jonas Hiller is having a Vezina-worthy season in goal. That's the issue for the Blues, who have to crawl back into the top eight and hope to catch a team on the way down. Anaheim is holding tough. Nashville is on a tear. In the end, it might be the Avs or Blues. Wouldn't it be a shame if Stewart's loss in a meaningless fight was the tipping point in not making the playoffs for an Avs team that has done so much right. (How about that Tomas Fleischmann trade?) The Blues are hoping to bring former Canucks and Leafs player Kyle Wellwood on board to bolster an offense that is ranked 19th in the league and a power play that is 25th. Wonder if they can sneak him through waivers or will another team -- Predators perhaps -- try to foil that plan? Speaking of teams on the rise, I was wondering if you'd seen an upsurge in the number of cars with Maple Leafs flags racing around Toronto now that the Leafs look like world-beaters, having won four in a row heading into Phoenix tonight?

LeBrun: Toronto definitely is playing its best hockey since that 4-0-0 start had everyone in my town going ga-ga. The Leafs are full value for their current win streak, which includes impressive wins in L.A. and San Jose.

"Our team has picked up a lot of confidence with the last few games," Leafs GM Brian Burke told me this morning on the phone from Phoenix. "When we started the season 4-0, the biggest factor was how much we had the puck. And the last few games, we've had the puck a lot. It's hard for the other team to score when you have the puck. We have some chemistry going on a few or our forward lines and we have great puck support. And the goaltending has been solid with [James] Reimer. The kid's been real solid.''

Veteran Jean Sebastien Giguere is close to returning, which will lead to a tough decision for head coach Ron Wilson with Jonas Gustavsson also in the fold. Meanwhile, Burke and right-hand man Dave Nonis have been working the phones hard the last few weeks trying to see if there's a trade out there that makes sense. A four-game win streak has chased away the vultures for now. Suddenly, some players on your roster look a bit more appealing to other teams when they're playing well.

"It improves the quality of your offers," Burke said. "When you're struggling, you get a lot of calls and get offers that don't make a lot of sense. But we're looking to add; we’re not looking to dump."

In other words, he's not looking for draft picks in any trade he makes before Feb. 28. The Leafs want good, young players in return.

Burnside: The good thing, optically, for the Leafs is that their strong play of late has separated them from the teams that will be involved in the draft lottery. They are just one point out of 10th place, and so the possibility that the Bruins could take a second lottery pick from the Leafs as part of the Phil Kessel deal seems remote at this point. On another point, a league source confirmed to you this morning that the Leafs would indeed be fined after head coach Ron Wilson put a cash "bonus" on the board prior to the Leafs win in San Jose (where Wilson used to coach). Seems like a small, petty thing but rules are rules. Since the bounty, which was reportedly to have gone to a team dinner (Wouldn't a team charity have been a better idea? Just asking.), is technically a contravention of the collective bargaining agreement; the Leafs will get a slap on the wrist. Could have been worse. They could have tried to sign Ilya Kovalchuk. But seriously, it will be interesting to see how Burke handles his roster moving forward. Do guys such as Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur, who rank second and first in team scoring respectively, represent the kind of assets that could yield building blocks moving forward, or do they represent the building blocks themselves? Not sure even Burke knows the answers right now.

LeBrun: One would think the league had better things to do than to worry about Wilson's money on the board for his 600th coaching victory, but on the other hand an NHL team executive told me this morning he figures the league is trying to make an example out of the Leafs so that other coaches don't do this again. Brent Sutter did it this last March in Calgary against his old team, New Jersey, and I don't think he and Wilson have been the only coaches to do it.

As for the Leafs' possible trades, other names to keep in mind are Kris Versteeg and Francois Beauchemin. Really, there aren't too many untouchables on the roster.

I understand you're going on vacation, my friend; well-deserved. We'll talk next week when you return.

1. Roloson acquisition bad news for Smith

We're not sure that anything has really been settled in Tampa Bay with the acquisition of veteran netminder Dwayne Roloson this past weekend, but the move has a number of implications.

First, this is bad news for Mike Smith.

We must admit to having a soft spot for Smith, who was likable and wildly competitive when he arrived in Tampa from Dallas in the Brad Richards trade a couple of years ago. We thought he might emerge as a bona fide NHL starter, yet injury and inconsistency have combined to block that path. Smith has been injured of late, and Dan Ellis played pretty well in his place, having inherited the starting job by default. Minor leaguer Cedrick Desjardins got in a couple of starts and won both, but clearly GM Steve Yzerman did not like the looks of an Ellis-Desjardins or Ellis-Smith tandem moving forward, even though the Bolts continue to vie with Washington for the top spot in the Southeast Division and their goals-against average has improved in the past month or so.

With the acquisition of Roloson, look for Smith to be waived and sent to the minors, as Yzerman likely will want to avoid carrying three netminders.

Roloson remains a bit of a wild card.

Heck, even we were gushing over him a week or two ago, as he has delivered mostly superlative work playing in front of a ghastly New York Islanders team. But he is five seasons removed from his starring playoff role for the Edmonton Oilers when the eighth-seeded wonders came within a game of winning the 2006 Stanley Cup, dropping Game 7 in Raleigh to the Carolina Hurricanes. Roloson had been injured in Game 1 of that final, but his play down the stretch after coming over from Minnesota and through the first three rounds gave the Oilers their finest hockey moments since Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky et al.

This Bolts team is a lot better than any team he's played on since, but to assume Roloson automatically reprises his Cinderella role instead of pumpkin is a bit premature.

Finally, this move is bad news for Evgeni Nabokov, who is currently unemployed, and Tomas Vokoun of Florida, who will be an unrestricted free agent come July and on the market before the Feb. 28 trade deadline. The Lightning were the NHL team most likely to look for goaltending help. As of now, they hope they've found it.

2. Moving the Winter Classic

ESPN colleague E.J. Hradek brought up the topic during a podcast in Pittsburgh leading up to the Winter Classic that next year, Jan. 1 will fall on a Sunday. The NHL has rightfully been pleased with the niche it has carved out on the crowded Jan. 1 sports calendar the past four years. But there is also little appetite to go head-to-head with the NFL on a late-season Sunday. It's a dynamic that will present itself periodically, and sources tell ESPN.com that there is already preliminary discussion about moving the game to a New Year's Eve time slot or pushing it to Jan. 2.

We assume that a Saturday slot, perhaps early to midafternoon, might work, as it shouldn't push into NBC's New Year's Eve programming. That's assuming, of course, that NBC renews its contract with the NHL at the end of this season and that it doesn't rain cats and dogs wherever the game ends up being played, throwing the whole thing into flux again.

3. Incidental contact rule

Twice during the Winter Classic, goals were waved off because there was incidental contact between a player and a goalie preceding the puck crossing the line. This reignited (at least in our minds) an ongoing debate over how the game's rules are interpreted. If part of the NHL's goal is to make the game more appealing to a broader American audience, it might do well to simplify one of the most ridiculous rules in the book: the cop-out rule that allows referees to wave off a goal after such contact but not necessarily call a penalty.

First, the Pens were denied a tying goal when Mike Rupp skated/was directed through the Washington crease. Replays showed that Rupp and the puck arrived in front of netminder Semyon Varlamov at exactly the same time. Isn't that the idea of a screen? Yes, there was some contact, and it likely prohibited Varlamov from stopping the puck.

Later, Alex Ovechkin was denied a late goal after "embracing" Pittsburgh netminder Marc-Andre Fleury behind the Pens' net. Replays seemed to show Fleury putting more of a grab on Ovechkin than vice versa.

I didn't like either call. It should be a simple thing.

If Rupp prohibited Varlamov from playing the puck of his own volition, wave off the goal and send Rupp to the box. If he was pushed by a defenseman or didn't bother Varlamov, ring up a Penguins goal. Same goes for the Ovechkin goal.

Having this wishy-washy "no harm, no foul" option for the officials simply muddies waters that should be crystal-clear.

4. Splitting fans' loyalty

A final word for the time being on the future of the Winter Classic. Regardless of whether it's being played on Jan. 1 (but especially if that's the case moving forward), why clutter the schedule with other NHL games, especially those involving American teams? If the theory is to open as many U.S. eyes as possible to the spectacle, don't have eight other American-based teams in action, as was the case on Saturday. We're not suggesting that the moratorium on competition should extend to Canada, but why force fans in New Jersey or Boston or Buffalo to choose between supporting their own teams and watching the Classic? In fact, à la the Super Bowl, if we were the NHL (and we rarely pretend to be), we would be promoting Winter Classic parties around the U.S. If they want to make this a special day for hockey, make it special. Just a thought.

5. Pietrangelo's award-worthy season

It's a bit of a shame that the NHL regulations are what they are and emerging young St. Louis defenseman Alex Pietrangelo isn't eligible for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.

Pietrangelo, who's just 20 years old, was the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft. He played in eight games the season after he was drafted and nine games last season before being sent back to junior in both seasons. In both cases, he did not play enough games to start the clock ticking on his entry-level contract, but his appearance in NHL games in back-to-back seasons were enough to preclude him from consideration in this year's Calder Trophy race. Too bad, because the 6-foot-3, 206-pound Pietrangelo certainly would warrant discussion given his level of play.

Although he missed a couple of games thanks to injury, Pietrangelo has 18 points in 35 games and has become a mainstay on the Blues' power play. He is a plus-4 and is one of the reasons the Blues have persevered through a spate of injuries to key personnel up front to stay in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference. As of Monday, the Blues were sixth in the Western Conference tied with Los Angeles and Colorado with 45 points having won five of their past six games.

Were he eligible, Pietrangelo's point total would be one off the pace among rookie defensemen, and his 20:20 average ice time per night is third in the league.

"He has been a solid player right from the beginning of the season and looks to have a tremendous future ahead of him," Blues GM Doug Armstrong told ESPN.com on Monday.

Monday: Detroit Red Wings at Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET)

The Wings play their second road game in two nights after defeating Minnesota on Sunday. They will be without Daniel Cleary (broken ankle) as Chris Osgood tries once again to get his 400th win. Meanwhile, the Avs hope to have Milan Hejduk and Cody McLeod back in the lineup.
Prediction: Osgood gets his milestone win.

Tuesday: Philadelphia Flyers at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. ET)

It's not too big of a stretch to imagine these two teams meeting next May with the Stanley Cup on the line. The Flyers are dominant on the road (10-2-3), while the Canucks are strong at home (12-3-2). This should be a good one.
Prediction: The Canucks hold serve at home.

Wednesday: New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET)

It's like watching a train wreck that never ends now with the Devils. New/old head coach Jacques Lemaire was putting his charges through their paces Monday after they were beaten 4-1 by woeful Toronto on Sunday. Poor Lemaire would need a month of Mondays to get this team right.
Prediction: The Rangers in a walk.

Thursday: Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning (7:30 p.m. ET)

The Lightning are playing much better defensively, Dan Ellis has shored up the goaltending and Steven Stamkos is back scoring goals. Not a good sign for a Montreal team that is showing signs of taking on water in spite of its place atop the Northeast Division.
Prediction: The Lightning continue their winning ways.

Friday: Phoenix Coyotes at St. Louis Blues (8:30 p.m. ET)

Happy New Year's Eve. The Coyotes hope to ring in the new year with Ilya Bryzgalov back between the pipes while the Blues hope they can continue to build on their strong play of late, especially at home where they are 12-4-2.
Prediction: The Coyotes continue to keep pace in the packed Pacific Division with a road win.

No warm and fuzzy feelings with this crew! You guys were cranky ahead of Christmas. Let’s look at some rants and thanks for the effort everyone!

moriler: Pierre, when will someone in the American media tell the real story about the Thrashers -- how ownership cares first and foremost about basketball, put an inferior product on the ice for nearly 10 years due to indifference, and only at the start of this season realized that they'll only draw fans if they make an effort to win games. The game against the Devils drew 17,000-plus -- not from fans who wanted to see Kovalchuk (they didn't show up when he was there on those horrible losing teams), but from fans who are starting to realize that this team is what good hockey looks like, and the team is actually worth coming to see now. Years of obvious owner indifference led directly to fan indifference, as it has in so many other cities (NY Isles, Pittsburgh, Edmonton, Chicago, even Detroit pre-Yzerman -- remember the Dead Wings?) -- and yet, because we happen to be in the Sun Belt, everyone clamors for our move despite there having been no actual effort made by ownership to allow hockey to succeed. Even this year we have barely made it to the salary cap floor -- and the fans know it. But this team rolled the dice on chemistry and got boxcars.

I understand that the Canadian media will never give the Sun Belt teams a fair shake, because the constant rumors of relocation are what sells in their world. But I do wish that the major American outlets would step up: Thrashers attendance has been directly due to consistent ownership indifference. It takes time to overcome that.

My take: One thing is clear my friend, it should be worrisome to any Thrashers fan to continually see NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly quoted in various media reports warning Atlanta about the future. While Daly has been very clear in saying the NHL's priority is to keep the team in Atlanta, he also has hinted at the repercussions of the market place not supporting the team. People in Atlanta should not ignore those hints. The league rarely takes that stance with any of its teams. This is a fun and exciting team to watch, they're battling Washington for the division lead and yet the club is 28th in attendance. Not good enough. Traditionally, the Thrashers have had better crowds in the second half. Hopefully that’s the case again.

Ljwinter85: Is there a reason Laviolette isn't being talked about for the Jack Adams? He's turned this team around completely and has the Flyers in prime position to make another run at the Cup. I don't want to hear about how stacked the Flyers are because that shouldn't matter. If Phil Jackson can win coach of the year awards, why can't Lavy? You can have all the talent in the world but if you can't get them to mesh and work together (HEAT) it doesn't matter. Lavy has done a terrific job with this team and putting together balanced lines. I think he deserves some consideration.

My take: Absolutely Laviolette deserves consideration. No argument here. And so does Mike Babcock in Detroit. But this is what happens when the voting comes: Coaches who get less talented rosters to overachieve almost always get more love. Pretty hard to disagree with Dave Tippett's choice last season. That's why Barry Trotz should always be in contention for the miracles he performs in Nashville. How about Joe Sacco and what he's doing with the kids and the injuries in Colorado? Craig Ramsay and the surprising Atlanta Thrashers? How about Marc Crawford in Dallas? Jacques Martin coaching his butt off with Montreal? The list goes on and on ... . Sixteen teams make the playoffs every year and I’d say a dozen coaches have legitimate Jack Adams cases. To me, it’s the hardest award in the sport to figure out.

Deffenbeard: Pierre, it's tough being a Blues fan. The beginning of the season gave us a peak at how dominating this team could be, especially on defense. It wasn't long until the hockey gods turned their back on us. Bobby Orr's first flight in hockey must have cursed the Blues. David Perron has been out for almost two months, Roman Polak is finally coming back after two months, nobody knows when Andy McDonald will return, and T.J. Oshie hopes to return before the end of the season. I hope that we will look back and say "the season really turned around when we found out that Erik Johnson didn’t destroy his knee against Detroit." We even have a rookie that isn't even considered a rookie in Alex Pietrangelo. It must be because he looks more like a 10-year veteran than a rookie. With that said, I'd like to include two positives at the end of this negativity: The Blues still sell out every game, and I still have a chance to see the first championship banner being raised to the rafters.

My take: It really is too bad how the injuries have derailed the Blues' season. They were going so good for a while. I remember putting them first overall in the Power Rankings one week. A lot of teams have injuries but the Blues were ravaged by key injuries to their very top players. That's tough to overcome. The season is far from over but either way, feel good knowing this team is building in the right direction.

jkline19@hotmail.com: As a Blue Jackets fan my wish list and complaint list is long -- but I will whittle it down to two items:

1. No. 1 D-man. CBJ have never had one, and while there guys down in Springfield who maybe can step up eventually, it is a need now.

2. No. 1 center. Help may be on the way in a year or two (with Johansen) -- but again, CBJ have never had a true No. 1 centerman. And no, Cassels and Fedorov were way past their primes when they played for CBJ.

The Maclean years are long gone yet his traces are still here. It kills me to see all the All-Stars playing for other teams that CBJ passed over in many previous drafts for guys who busted.

grrr ... OK -- happy holidays all

My take: Believe me when I say that Jackets GM Scott Howson tried all offseason to upgrade at both those positions, my friend. Easier said than done. Not sure if you've noticed but UFAs are not clamoring to play in Columbus. Which is too bad because I've been to Jackets games and I think it's a terrific NHL market, one that has been underserved by a decade of (mostly) futility. The fans deserve better there. I like Howson and I think he’s got a good plan but it won't come overnight.

fluxzito: All I want for Christmas is for the Minnesota Wild to finally realize that their plan just is not working. Their top scorer is 21st, not in the league, in the Western Conference, in scoring, and they only have two guys in the West Top 40. I thought this offense was supposed to be run and gun. It looks like the typical Wild to me. I would rather see the team rebuild like Edmonton is doing, and what Pitt did for years, (Stall, Fleurry, Crosby, Malkin). What do the Wild have to show for it? Nick Leddy (traded), Tyler Cuma (still in minors), Colton Gillies (bust), James Sheppard (bust), Benoit Pouliot (bust), A.J. Thelen (bust). I prefer watching the Minnesota Golden Gophers than the Wild. Mikael Granlund, please hurry.

My take: What, two wins in a row over Calgary doesn’t turn your crank? Hate to say it, but I pretty much saw this frustrating season coming. Didn’t think this was a playoff team and got lots of heat from Wild fans for saying so in September. Look for GM Chuck Fletcher to try to be aggressive in January and February on the trade front.

BaseballHockeyFan63: Pierre, what is it with you media types and the continued fawning over Crosby? EVERYONE gets it. He's a really good player -- top 3 in the league (currently No. 1, but we all know streaks and trends go in waves). We know he almost single-handedly led the Penguins to a 12-game winning streak. The point streak is impressive.

BUT HE IS NOT THE ONLY PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE. The day after the Flyers stopped the Penguins' streak, basically shut Crosby down (only two power-play points -- EXTREMELY quiet 5-on-5), and regained the top spot in the NHL (in just one game after the Penguins had won 12 in a row) and the headline is Crosby Continues the Streak?! RIDICULOUS. How about "Boucher Continues Hot Streak, Flyers Regain Top Spot?" Or "Struggling Power Play Delivers Late, Flyers Win?" How about focusing on something that is NOT Crosby? How about focusing on how the Flyers are something like plus-37 in goal differential on 5-on-5, more than double the second-best ratio?

Die-hard hockey fans of teams outside Pittsburgh are SICK and TIRED of the Crosby-centric NHL. I know you dismiss this notion, but I can tell you there WILL be many, many fans boycotting the Winter Classic because we are absolutely SICK of the Crosby (and, to a lesser extent, Ovechkin) coverage being shoved down our throats.

It's an old argument, but it is not going to go away until the league starts promoting other players. I understand the business aspect, but this does not help the image of the NHL, or the hockey media, being a joke.

My take: Personally, I haven't written a Crosby column this season. So I guess you weren’t referring to me. But dude, he’s the best player in the world. He deserves the attention. When you have the two greatest players ever in the history of the game, Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr, bringing up Crosby to me in recent conversations and both being incredibly impressed, that says it all. He’s got 10 more points than the second-leading scorer in the league. The guy’s unreal.

anblis: Pierre, I know it's "easy" to bash the refs sometimes but at times you just have to wonder what they are thinking. During the Bruins-Sabres game last week the officiating was awful on both sides. A phantom "boarding call" on Lucic led to one Sabres goal and other poor calls and "non-calls" disrupted the entire game. After Lucic is boarded himself with 2 minutes to go and no call comes, Dan O'Rouke (who was getting most of the grief all night) conveniently positions himself right in front of the Boston bench with a minute to go and calls an unsportsmanlike on the Boston bench because someone says the officiating has been a "joke."

My question/rant is this ... what purpose does that serve? No one directed profanity towards him (and I see that a lot on the ice during the game), and he had to know he wasn't having a "strong game" based on the actions of the players throughout. So with a minute to go he calls a penalty based on a comment only he could hear thus ending any chance of a Bruins comeback? Let's face it: If that occurred during a playoff game or on a HNIC broadcast to a Canadian team, Don Cherry and others would be calling for his head on a platter. Why can't the NHL office acknowledge screwups like this (by fining the ref, etc.) like they do when players cross the line? Julien rarely complains about the officiating but he said "complaining about poor calls and performances rarely changes it." What does that say about the league's office's handling of the refs?

My take: I honestly believe NHL refs are the best in pro sports. Yes they make mistakes, of course they do. They’re human. The game is 100 miles an hour. But when you compare the Big Four in North American sports, I’d take NHL officiating over the other three any day.

KooLeafs23: Pierre, my biggest problem in the NHL these days is the moronic need for players to respond to a clean hit a teammate receives by trying to fight, my point being the recent Subban hit on Brad Marchand. A clean hockey hit that for some reason Gregory Campbell felt he had to protect Marchand so he takes a penalty by trying to get Subban to fight him and then Montreal scores just 2 seconds after the PP is over. While technically not a PP goal, the PP gave the Habs’ offensive zone possession and the Bruins lost by one. What happened to the days where you go out and try to get a hit back? It happens every game now and it makes me sick how it's almost second nature by now in the NHL to respond this way. Does the NHL have any plans to try to do something about this ridiculous way the players act these days?! So frustrating!

My take: Totally, completely and whole-heartedly agree with you. Drives me crazy that players today are like that. It's become part of the culture over the last decade and it’s a real annoyance. If it's a clean hit, take your lumps and move on. And tell your teammates to also move on.

royalsgold1818: I don't understand what is taking so long for the Sutter brothers in Calgary to be fired. An obvious shakeup is needed. For starters, since Brent Sutter arrived, the Flames have been unable to play consistent hockey. A three-game winning streak is unheard of, and he has never been able to get the best out the players he is given to work with. I don't know why people think he's a good coach. All he has done is win a few world juniors, and then take a very talented New Jersey Devils team to two first-round playoff exits. Not to mention he comes to Calgary and we miss the playoffs for the first time since before the lockout. As for Daryl, the fact that he would spend all that money signing Jay Bouwmeester is ridiculous. Do you really want your top defenseman to be so soft that other players aren't scared to play against him? I guarantee other teams are happy to play Calgary, because they have no issues entering our zone because they know Bouwmeester isn't about to take their head off. Finally, we have the worst farm system in the entire NHL, and that is entirely the GM's fault. We have no young talent, and without Kiprusoff we would be the worst team in the NHL (maybe not worse than the Islanders or the Devils, but they are in a league of their own). I think it only makes sense to clean house of the Sutter brothers, let Iginla leave when he wants to go to a contender (don't ask him if they can trade him, let him bring it up, he's earned that) and rebuild for the very distant future.

My take: Could not agree more with you, pal. And I wish I had an answer for you, but I don’t. But I’d be shocked if the Sutters survive into next season if they miss the playoffs again this year. The Dion Phaneuf trade last January was a disaster. Signing Matt Stajan to that ridiculous extension made it even worse. Then flipping Ian White to Carolina this year and for what? Yikes.

SHIMS112001: How in the world is John Maclean still head coach of the Devils?? Lou fires coaches after 100-point seasons (Claude Julien 2006) and with eight games left in the season when the team is in first (Robbie Ftorek 2000). And let's face it: After last season, Jaques Lemaire was fired, he didn’t retire. This is a disgrace to Devils fans! MACLEAN MUST BE FIRED!!!!

My take: I spoke with Lamoriello last weekend. The pain in his voice said it all. This season is killing him. I am surprised Maclean has lasted. But I suspect what Lamoriello is perhaps saying is that the team on the ice is more at fault than the coach. The players that the GM signed and traded for, that is. But whether it’s this season or next summer, Lamoriello needs to find a coach that can get the best out of Ilya Kovalchuk. That must be the priority now.

LesHabs25: I have written to you before concerning my Habs but I have to take you and Scott to task after being part of that chat a few hours ago. Why do you not think this is a team that cannot keep its position atop the Northeast? First off, they don't rely on just a guy or two for all the offensive production. They get it from all four lines. Heck, Jeff Halpern has six goals already! I understand and agree with your comment that Jacques Martin is "coaching his butt off” as evidenced by the fact they have bought into his system. Allowing 72 goals has a lot to do with the goaltender coming into his own but it has to do with defensive responsibilities and their No. 1 rated PK. They have the goalie (or so it seems) for the long run. They have scoring. Maybe not as much as the big boys in the Pens, Caps or Flyers, but as proved last spring they have enough to get by (especially blocking all those shots). The defense may have taken a hit with the loss of Markov, but they now have over $5 million in cap room to go get another guy on the blue line or even a top-6 forward. Langenbrunner? Arnott? Richards? Dare I say it, Kovalev? I am a realistic Habs fan. I don't think they are as good as Pittsburgh, Washington or Philadelphia, but I think they are better than the Bruins and I do NOT see them at any point this season in danger of falling on the brink of missing the playoffs. Thoughts, mon ami? -- Robbie in NY

My take: You could very well be right, my friend. My two main concerns with the Habs are these: 1) Andrei Markov’s absence will be felt more as the season goes on. They’ve done a terrific job playing through it, as they did in last season’s playoffs, but over the course of an entire year they will miss his puck-moving abilities and PP/QB skills; 2) Scott Gomez is the team’s No. 2 center but has only 14 points (four goals) in 31 games, which is eighth on the team, even behind defenseman Roman Hamrlik. That’s not the kind of production you need from a No. 2 center on a Cup contender. The good news is his $7.35 million cap hit only carries through the 2013-14 season. Gulp.

Still, overall, all of your points are valid and it wouldn’t shock me at all if the Habs were able to hold off Boston. And keep in mind the Canadiens can use the cap savings from Markov’s injury and add some help before Feb. 28.

fbullock: Dear SantaBrun, while all teams are wanting a delivery of a shiny metallic object about 90 centimeters tall and weighing 16 kilos this Xmas, I wanted to ask on behalf of all hockey fans for a few items in this weeks rants:

1. Peace for Caps fans as the team got off the snide. See it's not 2003-04.

2. Joy for Flyers and Penguins fans, someday we'll find out who the top PA team is.

3. Good will for Fehr and Bettman. Please, for our sanity, play nicely.

4. Hope that Lou Lamoriello can figure out the cap. Maybe pay the players in pesos?

5. Wish for all fans to remember the passion of the game. No matter if your team is in Atlanta, Phoenix, etc., remember hoping for relocation only gets you so far, you still need passion from a fan base for it to survive. I believe hockey fans live everywhere, not just in cold climates.

So with that I wish all on the rant board and Mr. LeBrun a Merry X-mas and I look forward to talking up the New Year’s rants next week. To all a good night!!!

My take: What a great way to end it before Christmas. Well said!

Monday: Vancouver Canucks at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. ET)

The red-hot Canucks are 8-1-1 in their past 10 games and need to be if they're to battle the equally hot Colorado Avalanche for the Northwest Division lead. That one regulation loss in their past 10 was to the Blues, 3-2 at home on Dec. 5. It's time for revenge.
Prediction: The Canucks beat the injury-savaged Blues.

Tuesday: Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche (9:30 p.m. ET)

The Avs have won six straight while playing some of the most exciting hockey in the NHL. Injuries? What injuries? Meanwhile, it's been win one, lose one, win one, lose one, win one, lose one in the past six games for the inconsistent Kings.
Prediction: The Avs pull it off again in overtime to run their win streak to seven games.

Wednesday: Vancouver Canucks at Detroit Red Wings (7:30 p.m. ET)

Possible Western Conference final preview? After exploding out of the gates with a 16-4-2 record through the opening two months, the Wings have stumbled a bit in December, going 4-4-2, including weekend losses to Chicago and Dallas.
Prediction: The Red Wings get back on the horse with a win over the powerhouse Canucks.

Thursday: Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers (7 p.m. ET)

Two clubs that perhaps have surprised people by sitting in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers rank 10th in goals per game and ninth in goals against, showing terrific balance. The Bolts are eighth in offense but can't stop a puck, ranking 28th in goals against.
Prediction: The Rangers edge the Lightning 4-3 in a shootout.

Thursday: Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals (7 p.m. ET)

By the time the puck drops for this one, you'll have been reminded 100 times that both these teams play that night. Let's just call it the HBO Cup, OK? The Caps finally ended an eight-game slide with a win Sunday in Ottawa. Relief. The Penguins have lost two in a row after seeing their 12-game win streak snapped by Philadelphia. It's always a treat when the Caps and Pens hook up, which is why the Winter Classic will be a blast.
Prediction: The Penguins might be tired after playing the night before against Florida. The Caps will prevail in overtime on a John Carlson goal.